Gun Control #2

After hearing the debate on gun control I still feel the same way as I did before. Both groups discussed how the 2nd amendment is very hard to understand, and I agree with this. However, the only thing I think we need to change is who is acceptable to own a gun. I agreed with the other group when they said that many people buy guns and use them for harm on people. Just recently a really great football player passed away from gun shot wounds. He was sitting at home, when someone broke in and shot him. We don’t have a clue why they wanted to hurt him or who it was. Now I’m sure everyone has come to the conclusion that there is no way we can ever get rid of all the guns in the world. When it came up in the debate to get rid of all the guns, and someone said that’s not possible then that’s when another person in class said, stop selling ammunition. Now that might work, but I doubt it because I have a feeling that instead of using guns they will then turn to other weapons to still harm people. So that might be getting rid of the gun problem, but it’s not helping with the violence. We are still harming people. I think there should be a test that we should have to take to have better skills on how to handle a gun, and use it for protection or hunting. Its like when we had to take a test for a drivers license. If we didn’t study the material or take the test then we would be very out of control drivers. We see/hear about people using guns all the time, and might not see how bad it is. Parents have a big affect on their children. We need to pay closer attention to our parents and children; that way we can realize the dangerous things going on in our world, and we can protect the ones we love from it.

Gay Marriage #2

After I was assigned to debate against gay marriage I didn’t know how I was going to do that, when I was totally for gay marriage. After hours of researching for my topic I had found some pretty good articles that I didn’t even know about. It was also hard getting information because most sources are opinion and not based on fact. Right now I can see both sides of why we should and shouldn’t have it. Before, all I saw was my own side, however I’m still for gay marriage. To me it is still up to that person on how they want to live even if it is a sin. It’s bad to do a lot of things, but those people still continue to do it anyway because its their choice. Denying them is a violation of religious freedom. “The First Amendment of the Constitution clearly states that a person's religious views or lack thereof must be protected. Marriage by the state is a secular activity; the government cannot start making laws just because a religion says they should.” To me I agree. They are human beings just like everyone else, and share things like responsibilities, and the type of commitment that is needed for a marriage just like we do. Everyone is going to live their life different, that’s what makes us a whole by having different things; if everything was the same it would be rather boring. If two people love each other then they should have the right to express their feelings for each other the same way a heterosexual would. Denying them of marriage is a form of minority discrimination. The rights of minorities, I think should be protected. It’s pretty much the reason why we have the Bill of Rights, anti-slavery, and equal protection amendments. Denying a homosexual couple to being married is the same as denying marriage to a Hispanic or black couple. It’s just not fair! I just don’t really approve of the people who are against it. I do see there point of views, but if only they could see the other side. Everyone has a right to their opinion and choice of lifestyle. So, I think we should just let everyone be and choose what they want. It’s the only way to have a better society, and everyone working together to come close.

Drug Abuse #2

I still feel drug abuse is a big threat to our society. Drug legalization is on its way to manipulating the media. I think law enforcement needs to speak up more on this topic because if we continue to let this by pass us, then we will have more people using the dangerous and poisonous drugs that we are trying to control. Many studies have shown that the majority of crimes are drug related. Many families are torn apart from people who are drug abusers. “The victims of drug abuse range from those physically harmed by drug-induced crimes to taxpayers footing the bill for drug treatment. In other words, every citizen is a victim, either directly or indirectly.” Having drug related problems not only can screw up your families, but it can harm your health, family life, and the publics safety. One major drug that many people use is marijuana. Marijuana damages short-term memory, distorts perception, impairs judgment and complex motor skills, alters the heart rate, can lead to severe anxiety, and can cause paranoia and lethargy. Now why on earth would anyone want to harm themselves or hurt people in their family by using this drug? Many of these drugs are really expensive so people try and get their friends to become drug users also, so they can then sell them to their friends to defray their own costs. Drugs however are not that hard to get. Many young kids today who feel like they have so many problems in their life that the only thing they can turn to is drugs. Since some say these drugs are a good way to get away from stress. But it doesn’t make the pain go away it will still be there after your done. Kids who use and abuse these drugs die, drop out of school, grades drop, families become a wreck, and lots of violence. I think we need to legalize all these drugs because if not things are just going to keep growing and get a lot worse. We need to fix this by getting rid of these drugs and only have a certain way to provide it to the people who truly need them. If we did this I feel life and our environment would be a much better place. Since we will be keeping all the kids of the streets and of out jails from doing drugs. Instead, they will be in the class room getting the good education they need to have successful lives.

Capital Punishment #2

After I debated on capital punishment and in the debate I had to be against it as in getting rid of it. I’m not sure where I stand anymore on this topic. I can totally see both sides to this. As I said in my lost blog on this that if you do something violent to hurt another person the you deserve to be punished but maybe it doesn’t have to be the death penalty. There are so many people who are held on death row for decades which I didn’t know that. Another thing that surprised me was when I was researching was how much money it took to keep a prisoner alive. Keeping someone alive costs around $10,000 - $25,000 per year. Another big factor is race. One study shows, “African Americans constitute 12% of the U.S. population, they are 35% of those on death row; 9% are Native American, Latino or Asian. The most important factor in levying the death penalty, however, is the race of the victim.” Another thing that I knew was a big issue was where you live. I just didn’t know how bad it was. The studies have shown that states that have the death penalty don’t have lower crime rates. It also shows that states without capital punishment have no change in crime or murder rates. However I still feel like we need to keep capital punishment. I know that in the bible it says something like if someone strikes us we should turn the other cheek. That maybe the best thing and all but I think keeping capital punishment will give some kind of closure to the family’s. It wont bring anyone back but it will help some I think. Like I have said before I think executing a convict is showing us that justice is being served. People feel a lot safer knowing that a criminal is put behind bars and/or executed. We will never catch every criminal out there but It helps keep our streets some what safer. After debating I guess it didn’t really change my mind but it let me see how much goes on and what is wrong with the way things are going. So In the end I’m still going to stick with if you take someone’s life yours deserves to be taken also.